Kanye’s “Yeezus” Rollout Finally Ramps Up With New Videos

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Yeezus: The album that had no formal rollout until, of course, it did. The release date of Kanye West’s sixth studio album is nearing, and the enigmatic rapper finally threw the rap masses a bone this week. The New York Times released a candid interview between Kanye and Jon Caramanica Tuesday night that has the rapper/producer sharing thoughts on fatherhood, his past work, and his mindset on Yeezus.

Then, yesterday, two videos surfaced; one of Kanye performing “New Slaves” in Switzerland, and another of him and famed producer Rick Rubin recording “I Am A God.” There was also a video of Kanye performing “Cold” (not on Yeezus) at the Met Gala that has since been taken offline.

Everything leading up to Yeezus’ release date has felt unorthodox, from the title, to the cover art, to the choice not to release a single, to the choice to make the album unavailable for pre-order.

There are two ways to take this approach: trepidation since there’s so little to go off and what there is seems out there; or anticipation for the fact that Kanye is more or less batting 1.000 for his career, and that early reviews, from a listening session held earlier this week, are positive.

Only time will tell whether this muted press approach will benefit Kanye, but it’s refreshing to see a) Kanye refuse to conform to the institutions that feed off of him and b) finally give in a little and whet fans’ appetite. Seeing as both J. Cole’s Born Sinner and Mac Miller’s Watching Movies With the Sound Off have leaked, I’m guessing that ‘Ye walks away from the June 18th battle royal as the victor. Mac thinks so, too.